The Lakeside Living Guide
Whether you're searching for a year-round home, a private lakeside retreat, or an investment in Vermont real estate, lakeside living offers a distinctive combination of lifestyle, location, and long-term potential—rooted in the enduring beauty of Lake Champlain. This Lakeside Living Guide highlights my three favorite towns in the area.
Timeless Charm in Charlotte, Vermont
Discover the beauty of lakeside living in Charlotte, Vermont, where the timeless charm of a small New England community meets the breathtaking landscape of Lake Champlain.
Â
From peaceful waterfront properties and expansive lake views to wooded retreats and open country homes, Charlotte offers a rare opportunity to enjoy space, privacy, and a true connection to nature.
Â
Life here moves at a different pace. Mornings begin with views across the lake to the Adirondacks, afternoons invite boating, swimming, hiking, or exploring the countryside, and evenings are made for sunsets over the water. Just a short drive from Burlington, Charlotte provides the perfect balance of rural tranquility and convenient access to culture, dining, schools, and everyday amenities.
Â
Beyond the lifestyle, owning a home in Charlotte represents an opportunity to invest in a truly special place. With its limited inventory, desirable location, natural beauty, and enduring appeal,
Â
Charlotte real estate offers the potential for lasting value alongside the personal enjoyment of owning a home in one of Vermont's most sought-after communities. Here, a home can be more than a place to live—it can be a long-term investment in a way of life.
Charlotte, Vermont Real Estate Market August 2026:
August was a very strong month for Charlotte home prices and sales activity, although the small number of transactions means the monthly figures should be interpreted with some caution.
What the numbers tell us:
Charlotte remains a very competitive seller's market. The median sales price reached an impressive $1.453 million, up 64.2% from August 2025 and 32.1% from July. However, only 8 properties closed, so a few high-end sales can have a major impact on the monthly median. The $368 median price per square foot was actually down 11.8% year-over-year, reinforcing that the headline price increase is partly influenced by the mix of properties that sold.
Â
The strongest indicator of market competition is the 103.3% list-price received—meaning the typical closed sale was above its original list price. Meanwhile, Charlotte had just 13 active listings and 1.6 months of supply, substantially below the levels typically associated with a balanced market.
Â
There were 60% more closed sales than a year ago, and new listings doubled year-over-year, but supply remains tight. Homes sold in a median of 22 days, although that was slower than July's exceptionally fast pace.
Bottom line:
Charlotte's August market continues to favor sellers, with very limited inventory, strong buyer demand, and homes selling for more than asking price.Â
Â
While the $1.453 million median represents a dramatic increase from last year, the small number of sales makes it important to look at longer-term trends rather than treating one month's median as a new benchmark.
Â
The combination of 1.6 months of inventory and 103.3% of list price received, however, clearly points to a highly competitive market.
Sail, Live & Invest on Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vermont
For those who love life on the water, Shelburne, Vermont offers an exceptional way to experience Lake Champlain.
Â
Sailing is deeply woven into the community, with the historic Lake Champlain Yacht Club located along Shelburne Bay and a vibrant season of racing, cruising, regattas, and social events. The club's fleet is approximately 175 boats, with roughly 70% sailboats, and its Wednesday evening racing series has become a beloved summer tradition.
Â
For homeowners, this connection to the lake adds another dimension to the appeal of Shelburne real estate. Properties along Shelburne Point and the surrounding waterfront offer the rare combination of private lake access, breathtaking views toward the Adirondacks and Green Mountains, and an active boating lifestyle right outside your door.
Â
Waterfront opportunities are inherently limited, making well-positioned homes with meaningful lake access particularly distinctive. Current and recent listings illustrate the premium placed on properties with private shoreline, moorings, and direct access to the lake.
Â
Owning a home in Shelburne is more than an investment in real estate—it is an investment in a lifestyle that is increasingly difficult to replicate. Spend summer afternoons under sail, watch Wednesday night races from your waterfront, and return home to some of Vermont's most beautiful scenery.
Â
With its proximity to Burlington, strong sense of community, and exceptional access to Lake Champlain, Shelburne offers an opportunity to own a piece of one of Vermont's most coveted waterfront settings.
Shelburne, Vermont Real Estate Market August 2026:
Shelburne's August market shows a very competitive environment, particularly for sellers. While the median sales price declined from last year, homes are selling extremely quickly, buyers are paying close to asking price, and inventory remains exceptionally tight.
What stands out:
Extremely fast sales - The biggest story is the 5-day median time on market, down dramatically from a year ago. This indicates that desirable, appropriately priced homes are moving very quickly.
Â
Very limited inventory - Shelburne has just 14 active listings and 1.1 months of supply. That's firmly a seller's market and significantly tighter than last year.
Â
Prices are mixed - The median sales price of $881,305 is down 15.2% year-over-year. However, price per square foot increased 3.8% to $317. This difference suggests that the decline in the median sale price may be influenced by the types and price ranges of homes that happened to sell in August rather than a broad decline in property values.
Â
More sales - Closed sales increased 30% year-over-year, reaching 13 transactions. That's a healthy improvement in activity.
Â
Sellers are still capturing nearly full asking price - Homes sold for 99.4% of list price, indicating that buyers continue to compete for limited inventory.
Bottom line:
Shelburne remains a highly competitive seller's market. With only 1.1 months of inventory, homes selling in a median of five days, and sellers receiving 99.4% of list price, buyer demand remains strong relative to available homes.
Â
Although the August median sales price was lower than a year ago, the increase in price per square foot and the extremely low inventory suggest that the market remains fundamentally strong.
Â
The 30% increase in closed sales also points to healthy activity, while the limited supply continues to put pressure on buyers to act quickly when the right property comes available.
The Lakeside Living Guide to
Burlington, Vermont
There is something truly special about living on the shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. With sweeping views of the Adirondacks, spectacular sunsets, and easy access to the water, lakeside living here offers a rare combination of natural beauty and vibrant city life. From boating and sailing in the summer to walking the waterfront and enjoying the changing seasons, the lake is an integral part of everyday life in Burlington.
Â
Burlington's waterfront real estate is particularly distinctive, offering homeowners the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds: the tranquility and beauty of life on the lake, paired with the energy, culture, restaurants, shops, and amenities of Vermont's largest city. Properties with lake views, waterfront access, or proximity to the shoreline are highly sought after, creating a limited and desirable segment of the local real estate market.
Â
For buyers looking beyond a traditional home purchase, Burlington real estate represents an opportunity to invest in a lifestyle as much as a property. The combination of Lake Champlain, mountain views, a vibrant community, and convenient access to everything Burlington has to offer gives waterfront and lake-oriented properties an enduring sense of place and appeal.
Â
Whether you're looking for a year-round residence, a second home, or a long-term investment, lakeside living in Burlington offers something increasingly rare: the ability to make the lake part of your everyday life while remaining at the center of one of Vermont's most dynamic communities.
Burlington and South Burlington, Vermont Real Estate Market — August 2026:
Burlington/South Burlington is showing signs of cooling and increased buyer choice. Inventory is up substantially year-over-year (+42.2%), while months of supply has risen to 2.5 months. At the same time, the median price is down 5.8% from a year ago.
Â
The biggest month-to-month change is days on market --Â +133.3%, suggesting homes are taking considerably longer to sell than in July. Sellers are still receiving nearly full asking price (99.5%), but the market is less aggressive than Charlotte's.
Helena Woodruff
Select this paragraph to add your own text. Just drag and drop or click here to add this paragraph to your site, then you can add your own content and make changes to the font.
Helena Woodruff